MSP FERGUS EWING: 'I would encourage, if you can, to help keep our small shops and businesses open and buy local this festive period'
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Last Saturday marked this year’s annual Small Business Saturday event.
In its 10th year of running, this grassroots campaign highlights small businesses successes and encourages consumers to “shop local” and support small businesses in their communities in the run up to Christmas.
This year we’ve seen many of our small businesses work extremely hard to return to normal after two difficult years as we tackled the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before becoming your MSP in 1999, I owned and ran a small business of my own, so I am aware of the work it takes and how important the next few weeks are for key trading in the run up to Christmas.
I would encourage, if you can, to help keep our small shops and businesses open and buy local this festive period.
The Highlands have world-class products and produce to offer from a number of small businesses and your help makes every bit of difference this year.
I’m looking forward to visiting the newly refurbished Victorian Market in Inverness this year with my family. The market offers a range of fantastic independent small businesses which is well worth a visit this Christmas time.
n Last week we saw the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
Men and women took to the streets in protest, including in Inverness.
The Reclaim the Night march hosted by Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH) called for women to be able to walk without fear at night of being assaulted or harassed. An issue that, shamefully, happens just all too often for women and girls, even here in the Highlands.
Walking home late at night with keys in their hands, keeping their heads down from catcalls or whistles, trying to be as small and quiet as possible, staying on the phone to others while walking the streets.
These are just some of the all too familiar stories that women will recount to you. Something they have lived with and been taught about from a young age.
It is the responsibility of all of us – men and women – to speak out against gender-based violence and call out behaviour that is damaging to our society.
It is not up to women to fix or change the problem of male violence. For change to happen, this needs to be accepted by everyone.
